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The auction in Geneva of a spectacular diamond necklace made world headlines not just for the staggering price paid to secure the item but for its association with an 18th-century scandal that rocked the court of King Louis XVI of France. A rare and exceptional piece of jewelry, the necklace hadn't been seen in public for decades. Its reappearance sparked new interest in what's known as the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace," an episode in French history that ultimately cost Marie Antoinette her head! But what exactly is the connection between this glittering bling and the last Queen of France?
Click through the following gallery and find out how a necklace caused the eventual demise of Marie Antionette.
At a Sotheby's auction in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 13, 2024, a rare 18th-century diamond necklace sold for a staggering US$4.8 million (£3.7 million). Set with nearly 500 diamonds and weighing about 300 carats, the necklace was the centerpiece of Sotheby's Royal & Noble Jewels sale.
Some of the diamonds in the Georgian-era piece are believed to contain incredibly rare Golconda diamonds, those that were mined in the ancient diamond fields of Eastern India and known as the world's finest gems.
While its beauty and rarity provided an obvious selling point, it's the necklace's historical value that helped it fetch more than expected after a lengthy bidding battle.
Intriguingly, Sotheby's said that some of the jewels are believed to have been at the center of the infamous "Affair of the Diamond Necklace"—a scandal which is said to have precipitated the fate of Queen Marie Antoinette.
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was played out in the court of King Louis XVI of France in 1784 and 1785. However, the seeds of the scandal were sown several years earlier.
In 1772, two Parisian jewelers, Charles Boehmer and Paul Bassenge, were commissioned by King Louis XV of France to produce a necklace for one of his mistresses, Madame du Barry.
Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry was the monarch's latest infatuation and, in fact, recognized as the King's official paramour. Her arrival at the French royal court scandalized some, mainly due to her humble background.
It took Boehmer and Bassenge many years and a great deal of money to create the lavish and glittering artifact, so long, in fact, that by the time it was finished Louis XV had died of smallpox.
Louis XV's grandson and successor, Louis XVI, banished Madame du Barry from the court. much to the approval of the new queen, Marie Antionette.
Meanwhile, Boehmer and Bassenge were faced with a serious dilemma. Their royal patron was dead and the woman for whom the necklace had been intended had been ousted from Versailles. Furthermore, the hapless jewelers stood to lose an awful lot of money.
In desperation, Boehmer and Bassenge approached Louis XVI in the hope that he would offer the necklace to Marie Antoinette. In fact, he did so in 1778, but the Queen turned the sparkling gift down—twice, actually.
The story takes a more underhand turn with the arrival on the scene of Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy. A con artist also known as Jeanne de la Motte, she concocted a scheme to use the necklace to gain wealth and possibly power and royal patronage.
Jeanne de la Motte was married to Nicholas de la Motte, an officer of the gendarmes who styled himself as "Comte de la Motte." Her only income was a modest stipend granted by the King. But it was enough to boast of an association with the Palace of Versailles and to use the title Countess of La Motte.
The countess began ingratiating herself with Louis-René de Rohan, the Bishop of Strasbourg and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Rohan was not liked by Marie Antionette, having been warned by her mother, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, of his licentious behavior and disagreeable manner.
The Queen's obvious disapproval of his character irked Rohan. But in 1783 he began an affair with Jeanne de la Motte, who had convinced him she had been received by Marie Antionette and enjoyed her favor. Rohan also saw an opportunity to win the Queen's blessing and decided to use Jeanne de la Motte to gain influence at the court. Jeanne de la Motte, though, had other ideas.
With devious ingenuity, Jeanne de la Motte managed to convince Rohan that she'd arranged a meeting between himself and the Queen, a liaison that would take place in the gardens of Versailles.
In August 1784, Rohan met with a woman he thought was Marie Antoinette. In fact, the 'Queen' was somebody called Nicole d'Oliva, a woman of the night hired by Jeanne de la Motte to masquerade as the King's wife since she bore a striking resemblance to her. Rohan was hoodwinked, and believed he was now in Marie Antoinette's good books.
The cunning countess then began sending Rohan letters supposedly written by the Queen, suggesting the cardinal purchase the necklace.
Rohan agreed to act as an intermediary to buy the necklace on behalf of the Queen. At 1.6 million livres, the price was exorbitant. Rohan therefore negotiated payment to be made in four installments over two years. He believed every livre would go toward his advancement in the Queen's good graces.
The jewelers Bohmer and Bassenge were delighted and relieved to have finally found a buyer. They handed over the necklace to the cardinal in February 1785, who then presented it to Jeanne de la Motte.
In July, Charles Boehmer wrote a letter to the Queen in which he referred to the necklace. Knowing nothing of the fraud, she promptly destroyed it.
The following month, Boehmer sent another letter, addressed this time to Henriette Campan, the Queen's lady-in-waiting. In it, Boehmer expressed surprise that he'd not yet received the first installment on the necklace.
Puzzled, Campan relayed the news to the Queen. She immediately summoned Rohan and demanded an explanation.
The King was informed. Cardinal Rohan was immediately summoned to Versailles and promptly arrested. The scandal was about to be made public.
Rohan was imprisoned in the Bastille. He and his accomplices, including Jeanne de la Motte, were eventually brought before the Parlement de Paris in May 1786.
The trial caused a sensation. But contrary to all expectations, Cardinal Rohan was declared innocent. Jeanne de la Motte, however, was found guilty and branded with a hot iron with a "V" for Voleuse (thief) before being imprisoned for life in the Salpêtrière prison in Paris. But what happened to the necklace?
It's assumed the diamonds of the original necklace were sold on the black market in London, coincidentally the city where Jeanne de la Motte ended up after escaping from prison and where she later published the scandalous 'Mémoires' vilifying the Queen.
Though Marie Antoinette was entirely blameless, the affair tarnished her reputation and that of the King. It sowed anti-monarchical sentiment, with the Queen becoming a symbol of dysfunction and a scapegoat for everything wrong in France. In fact, the scandal was one of many factors leading to the dissolution of the ancien régime and thus the start of the French Revolution. In 1793, she met the same fate as her husband, guillotined in the Place de la Révolution.
The necklace in its present form, which resembles a neck scarf and can be worn open or knotted at the front, was purchased by Britain's Marquess of Anglesey, and a family member wore it on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to Sotheby's.
It was then sold to a private Asian collector in the 1960s and disappeared from public view for decades before its reappearance in Geneva. While the new custodian has chosen to remain anonymous, the Affair of the Diamond Necklace endures.
Sources: (Palace of Versailles) (World History Encyclopedia) (Britannica) (Sky News) (Sotheby's) (Reuters)
See also: The glittering and controversial world of diamond mining
What was the Affair of the Diamond Necklace?
The jewelry that cost Marie Antoinette her head
LIFESTYLE History
The auction in Geneva of a spectacular diamond necklace made world headlines not just for the staggering price paid to secure the item but for its association with an 18th-century scandal that rocked the court of King Louis XVI of France. A rare and exceptional piece of jewelry, the necklace hadn't been seen in public for decades. Its reappearance sparked new interest in what's known as the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace," an episode in French history that ultimately cost Marie Antoinette her head! But what exactly is the connection between this glittering bling and the last Queen of France?
Click through the following gallery and find out how a necklace caused the eventual demise of Marie Antionette.